What Deficiencies Cause Dizziness?

Lightheadedness causes nausea or the feeling that you may faint, so you'll feel better if you lie down. (Image: Visage/Stockbyte/Getty Images)

Dizziness can be broadly divided into two categories: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness causes nausea or the feeling that you may faint, so you'll feel better if you lie down. With vertigo, however, you feel like the world around you is moving or that you are spinning or falling, so it is typical to have trouble maintaining balance. While there are several factors that can cause dizziness, primary among them are nutritional deficiencies in the body.

Iron Deficiency (Anemia)

If your diet does not include iron-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables, eggs and almonds, it is unable to make hemoglobin, which in turn produces red blood cells. These cells are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the whole body. A shortage of red blood cells leads to an insufficient supply of oxygen to the body, which can result in dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath and other disorders. In some cases, people with a healthy diet also suffer from Iron deficiency. This could be because their body has trouble assimilating iron. For such individuals, intake of vitamin C is advised, as it helps in the absorption of iron in the body.

If your diet does not include iron-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables, eggs and almonds, it is unable to make hemoglobin. (Image: Eising/Photodisc/Getty Images)

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 plays an important role in the body and aids the synthesis of DNA and neurological functioning. It is also required to produce red blood cells and helps in various important acid reactions within the body. Lack of vitamin B12 can cause more serious problems than dizziness, such as macrocytic anemia, atherosclerosis and even cardiovascular problems. Vitamin B12 deficiency can also lead to various psychiatric problems, including depression, dementia, change in personality, psychosis and memory impairment. There are several factors that can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12. Some individuals are unable to absorb vitamin B12, while others do not get enough B12 in their diet. Some foods that are rich in B12 are meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

Some foods that are rich in B12 are meat, fish, eggs and dairy products. (Image: Burke/Triolo Productions/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images)

Vitamin B6 Deficiency

Vitamin B6 exists in our body in three natural forms—pyridoxal, pyridoxine and pyridoxamine, which have to be processed and converted by the body in order to become active. Vitamin B6 deficiency is quite rare, as it is easily available in foods such as wheat, soybeans, yeast, walnuts and sunflower seeds. Overcooking foods can kill the vitamin B6 present in them, as raw foods have higher concentrates of this vitamin than cooked ones. Vitamin B6 also regulates mood, and lack of this vitamin can cause depression, mood swings and other problems related to mental health. Other symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency include dizziness, anemia, insomnia and weakness. Once the body becomes deficient in vitamin B6 it is not easy to restore appropriate levels of it. It is a long process, and some patients hardly ever acquire the recommended levels. Taking pyridoxine supplements is usually advised to correct this deficiency.

Vitamin B6 deficiency is quite rare, as it is easily available in foods such as wheat, soybeans, yeast, walnuts and sunflower seeds. (Image: Shunsuke Yamamoto Photography/Digital Vision/Getty Images)